Royal Order of Scotland

The Royal Order of Scotland

There is a tradition among the Masons of Scotland that, after the dissolution of the Templars, many of the Knights repaired to Scotland and placed themselves under the protection of Robert Bruce and that, after the battle of Bannockburn, which took place on St. John the Baptist's day (in summer), 1314, this monarch instituted the Royal Order of H.R.M. and Knights of the R.S.Y.C.S. and established the chief seat at Kilwinning. From that Order it seems by no means improbable
that the present Degree of Rose Croix de Heredom may have taken its origins.

Whatever may have been the origin and foundation of the Royal Order of
Scotland, its claim to the oldest, if not, indeed, the only Masonic Order of
Knighthood, is presumably valid. The Order of Knights Templar Masons was
instituted by Freemasons, but has nothing Masonic in its ritual.

With regard to the veridical history of the Order, there is presumptive
evidence, a a Provincial Grand Lodge met in London in 1696 and indubitable
evidence to show that in 1730, here was a Provincial Grand Lodge of the Order in
South Britain, which met at the Thistle and Crown, in Chandos Street Charing
Cross, whose constitution is described as being of 'Time Immemorial'.

According to Thory, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, in 1747, issued his famous
Arras Charter, in which he claimed to be Sovereign Grand Master of the Royal
Order.

(Introduction taken from the First Edition of Gould's History of Freemasonry)

The ritual recorded in this section was privately printed in County Warrick
in 1844, by C. Blackledge